An Amarillo jury will continue deliberating the beef defamation civil case involving Oprah Winfrey this morning. The jury heard closing arguments Wednesday morning after almost six weeks of testimony. A group of Texas cattlemen are seeking millions in damages of Winfrey, alleging that she harmed their business by making false statements about beef safety during a 1996 show about 'mad cow' disease. -upi- Europe wrestles with mad cow rules
The European Commission has moved to grant Germany and seven other EU nations official status as countries free of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The commission vote Wednesday morning in Brussels was aimed at breaking the deadlock over the beef ban against Britain because of BSE, more commonly known as mad cow disease. At issue is Britain's stringent ban against the sale of meat on the bone as an anti-BSE measure -- a ban Britain wants extended to all member countries. The European Commission agreed with recommendations from EU scientists who want to broaden the list of dangerous animal material with a risk of carrying 'mad cow' disease. Most specifically, the commission agreed with the British view that meat attached to the spinal column, such as T-bone steak, carried enough risk to justify being banned. The commission also endorsed the waiving of proposed new meat hygiene rules for countries which have had no cases of mad cow disease in domestically bred cattle. -upi- Feds seek to boost Michigan cranberry crop
The USDA wants to help Michigan farmers convert swampy ground into cranberry bogs. For the first time the USDA's Farm Service Agency is offering low- interest loans to farmers in the state willing to take the plunge and wait the average five years for an initial cranberry crop. Currently only five commercial cranberry farms operate in Michigan. The state is the nation's leading producer of tart cherries, and one of the biggest apple, sweet cherry and strawberry states. It may never be able to compete with the big cranberry states -- Massachusetts and Wisconsin. But state agriculture officials are promoting cranberries as a new cash crop in Michigan, pointing to growing demand for juice and other products. Currently the Welch's juice company and other food processors have cranberry plants in Michigan. They import berries from Wisconsin. -upi- Witt: economic loss astronomical
James L. Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says El Nino is proving to be very damaging and some businesses and farmers 'may not recover.' Witt made his comments on the NBC 'Today' program from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as he waited to accompany President Clinton to view tornado damage in Florida. Witt said the overall economic loss to the country and the states hit hard by adverse weather 'is going to be astronomical.' -upi- Ban extended on Virginia shad fishing
A divided fisheries commission has voted to keep Virginia's ban on shad fishing in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for at least another year. The 5-3 vote marked the second time in the past three months the Virginia Marine Resources Commission has voted to retain the ban in the face of requests by watermen to lift it. Shad were the chief money crop for upstream netters, who maintain enough exist to justify limited fishing. Scientists say a premature season could imperil shad and only prolong the ban that was imposed in 1994 to protect the dwindling numbers of shad on their spawning grounds. Like salmon, shad spend their lives in salt water but return to their fresh water stream of origin to spawn. -upi- Philip Morris to trim 1,900 jobs
Philip Morris has announced plans to trim 1,900 jobs through voluntary early retirement and separation programs. The company's statement today said the program will primarily affect workers at tobacco plants in Richmond, Va., and Louisville, Ky. Philip Morris and its subsidiaries, including Kraft Foods and Miller Brewing Co., currently employ 152,000 people. -upi-
